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Big Batch Beef Ragu with Pasta

This recipe is perfect when you have holiday guests. Beef is cut into chunks then tossed with flour, salt and pepper. Then the beef is briefly browned in a skillet before being placed in a slow cooker. Next onions, carrots, celery and garlic are softened in a skillet. Tomato paste, beef stock and canned tomatoes are added to the vegetables. Everything is added to the slow cooker and cooked for several hours. Then the beef is shredded and returned to the slow cooker with cooked pasta.
Course Entree
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Servings 8 people

Ingredients

  • 2 ¼ lbs braising beef chopped into chunks
  • 3 heaping tablespoons flour
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 medium onions chopped into small chunks
  • 4 medium carrots peeled and chopped into small chunks
  • 3 sticks celery chopped finely
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree/paste
  • 1 ¼ cups red wine or beef stock or consommé
  • 28 oz canned chopped tomatoes
  • 2 ½ cups hot beef stock
  • 1 tsp dried thyme

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350 F.
  2. Place beef in a bowl, mix with flour, salt and pepper.
  3. Heat oil in pan, brown beef in batches.
  4. Add onion to beef and cook on low 3 to 4 minutes to soften.
  5. Add carrots, celery and garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
  6. Add tomato paste and stir, add in wine and let bubble for a few minutes. Scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom.
  7. Add the tomatoes, beef stock and thyme. Bring to a boil, stir and place lid on pan.
  8. Place in oven for 3 to 4 hours. Check every hour to ensure the sauce isn’t drying out.

Recipe Notes

Slow cooker: Reduce stock to 2 cups. Follow recipe up to adding pan to the oven, place in slow cooker on LOW for 6 to hours or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours.